“You are the bread and the knife….You are the white apron of the baker…..” Billy Collins “Litany” (excerpt)
There is little more satisfying than making my own bread….warm, crusty loaves brought forth by my own hands. The ingredients readied, measured and mixed appeals to the organized part of me. The physical contact of floured hands to soft dough is uniquely seductive as any baker of bread will tell you.
For St. Patrick’s Day week I share two recipes for breads that are simple and quick and delicious. I enjoy making yeast breads, but Irish Soda Breads are my fall-back when time is limited and my attention span runs short whilst the desire for making a good crusty loaf is all that will suffice.
A bit of sifting and mixing….
…….just a few ingredients with little prep time and a beautiful dough is achieved.
Gently formed into a round loaf with an “X” cut into the top, this sweet loaf is ready for the oven within about 10 to 15 minutes!
One loaf baked and smeared with marmalade and one without…one sweet and one savory, both warm and ready for a slathering of Irish butter within an hour.
A Sweet + A Savory Irish Soda Bread - One Recipe, Two Loaves
Ingredients for Loaf #1 – Plain and Simple
- 3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 cups buttermilk
Ingredients for Loaf #2 – Marmalade Loaf
- 3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 1/4 cups plain Greek yogurt
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup orange marmalade, divided in half
Directions for Loaf #1 –
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray or cover with parchment paper.
- Sift the flour, salt & soda together into a large mixing bowl.
- Make a “well” in the center and pour in 1 1/2 cup buttermilk and mix gently. Add more buttermilk if dough seems too dry. This dough should be soft and somewhat wet. Using your hands scrape dough out onto a lightly floured work surface.
- Knead dough until smooth and shape into an 8 inch round, slightly flattened disk. Place dough on prepared baking sheet and using a sharp knife dipped in water, make an “X” in the top. Bake for about 25-30 minutes or until bread is golden brown and crusty. When you remove loaf from the oven and tap on the bottom it should sound hollow. Serve warm in slices with some softened Irish butter.
Directions for Loaf #2 – The process is exactly the same as the above loaf. This one uses yogurt and cream and marmalade.
- Preheat oven to 425 and prepared baking sheet.
- Sift flour, salt and soda together…make a well in the center….add yogurt, cream and half the marmalade. Stir together quickly. Scrape dough onto a floured work surface and knead a few times.
- Shape into a disk & place on a baking sheet. Smear outside of dough with remaining marmalade and cut an “X” in the top.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown and crusty.
These breads keep well for a few days and are fantastic toasted.
Teresa Blackburn www.teresablackburnfoodstyling.com www.foodonfifth.com
